The City Task Force (CTF) was constituted in 2005 by the then Commissioner of Police V.S.K. Kaumudi.
It was then entrusted with the task of keeping track of rowdies and other anti-social elements, including communal elements and to assist the police stations in apprehending criminals and to keep a watch on land grabbers.
In sync with its objective, the CTF has been performing but the personnel are stretched beyond physical and mental limits.
They have played a key role in the arrest of a number of gangsters who were involved in murder cases, cracked cricket betting, have become a menace for gamblers due to frequent raids and have busted a number of organised flesh trade dens.
In fact, they have a hand in cracking almost all forms of organised crime including ganja and gutka smuggling and drug peddling and all with a reduced strength of just 16 men.
The sanctioned strength of the police station was one ACP, two Inspectors, twoSIs, two ASIs, 4 HCs, and 12 PCs, a total of 23. But at present it has just one ACP and two SIs, as the mainstay. The Inspector who was transferred about a year ago is still to be replaced.
But on the other hand the scope of CTF has been increasing with every passing day. “Today, our scope of operation includes detecting illegal storage of PDS items, oil pilferage, coal and other cargo thefts, video piracy, belt shops, detection of drugs and peddling, detecting fake currency racket, hawala trade, fake certificate racket, cock fights to organised prostitution,” said Assistant Commissioner of Police CTF I. Chittibabu.
In fact, the CTF has cracked many sensational murder cases including that of the notorious rowdy sheeter B. Narasimha Murthy alias Natchu and Thota Ramana alias Oil Ramu, the oil pilfering case from the oil jetty, the first hawala case in the city and a number of Malda-based (West Bengal) FICN (fake Indian currency notes) cases.
Agreeing that the CTF, which functions directly under the Commissioner of Police and its jurisdiction spreading across the commissionerate, T. Yoganand, Commissioner of Police, told The Hindu that a proposal had been sent to the DGP and it had been approved in principle but awaiting the final nod from the Ministries concerned.
Soft target
But keeping the intelligence inputs in mind that the city is a soft target and is in the radar of various terror organisations, the proposal that has been sent long ago needs to be cleared on war-footing, said an officer from the special branch. Moreover, the city is considered to be one among the important cities in the country for its strategic location and vital installations, the officer added.
As per the proposal sent, the CTF should be divided into two zones (I and II), with Zone II catering to the Gajuwaka region.
While one ACP will oversee both the zones, one Inspector will cater for each of the zones.
Each zone is further divided into three divisions and each division will have one Sub-Inspector, two head constables, four male constables and two women constables.
